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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Author Interview/Giveaway - Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin

Describe your book in five words or less.

Love and courage overcoming peril.

How did the ideas for your books come to you?

The idea for A Distant Melody, the first book in the Wings of Glory series, came out of a “what if” question—what if a man and woman met at an event, truly clicked, and parted before exchanging contact info? Wouldn’t it be romantic if he went through great effort to track her down? It wouldn’t work in a contemporary setting—he’d “Google” her—but it made a sweet premise for a historical. My husband and I watched a History Channel special on the US Eighth Air Force based in England which flew over Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II, and I was hooked.

While doing research, I became enamored with the Eighth Air Force and wanted to tell the full story to V-E Day. Since my hero had two pilot brothers, I decided to write a series, with each book focusing on one brother. Those books are A Memory Between Us and Blue Skies Tomorrow.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I never write a novel with a message in mind, but I do hope my readers will learn from my characters’ experiences. Fear can cripple you and keep you from the life God intends for you. I hope readers will see how they can find courage in the Lord and the strength to face whatever life throws at them.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?

The hardest part for me is the plotting. Sometimes it feels like a wrestling match for me, although I do enjoy it. The easiest parts for me are character development and dialogue.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?

I signed another contract with Revell for a series tentatively titled Wings of the Nightingale. It follows three World War II flight nurses who discover love, friendship, and peril in the skies and on the shores of the Mediterranean. I just finished the first novel in the series, which will release Fall 2012. It features a You’ve Got Mail-like anonymous pen pal relationship between a loner nurse and an Army engineer burdened by the legacy of his infamous father.

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?

I started writing historical fiction because my story idea demanded a historical setting. World War II has always fascinated me, and there are so many dramatic stories and settings—a novelist’s dream. This was a time when ordinary men had to do extraordinary things, and when women first explored non-traditional roles—while remaining ladies. I’ve always been fond of that generation, my grandparents’ generation. As a pharmacy resident at a VA hospital, I had the honor of caring for many of these men. As a rule, they were cheerful, kind, and chivalrous, with the solid strength of someone who has been tested—and passed. What more could you want in a hero?

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?

It’s surreal. I’m still surprised anyone not related to me by blood or marriage wants to read my books—much less that they come back for more! But of course, it’s thrilling. I had no idea writing books would help me make friends! Maybe I should have started in junior high 

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

I don’t think anything is left. How about a math question? I always liked math. That would be a refreshing change.

What was your road to publications like?

Long and rocky, but everybody probably says that. I started submitted my first novel in 2003. I received good feedback from published authors, editors, and agents—and began accumulating a stack of “good” rejection letters. They liked my writing, my story, and my characters—however, historicals weren’t selling. This continued for five years. I often felt discouraged, but the Lord made it obvious in many ways that He wanted me to finish the trilogy so I plugged away. Then in 2008, the market opened up for historicals, and there I was with my trilogy close to complete. I submitted to Vicki Crumpton at Revell, and I was offered a three-book contract.

Describe your book in five words or less.

Love and courage overcoming peril.

How did the ideas for your books come to you?

The idea for A Distant Melody, the first book in the Wings of Glory series, came out of a “what if” question—what if a man and woman met at an event, truly clicked, and parted before exchanging contact info? Wouldn’t it be romantic if he went through great effort to track her down? It wouldn’t work in a contemporary setting—he’d “Google” her—but it made a sweet premise for a historical. My husband and I watched a History Channel special on the US Eighth Air Force based in England which flew over Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II, and I was hooked.

While doing research, I became enamored with the Eighth Air Force and wanted to tell the full story to V-E Day. Since my hero had two pilot brothers, I decided to write a series, with each book focusing on one brother. Those books are A Memory Between Us and Blue Skies Tomorrow.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I never write a novel with a message in mind, but I do hope my readers will learn from my characters’ experiences. Fear can cripple you and keep you from the life God intends for you. I hope readers will see how they can find courage in the Lord and the strength to face whatever life throws at them.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?

The hardest part for me is the plotting. Sometimes it feels like a wrestling match for me, although I do enjoy it. The easiest parts for me are character development and dialogue.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?

I signed another contract with Revell for a series tentatively titled Wings of the Nightingale. It follows three World War II flight nurses who discover love, friendship, and peril in the skies and on the shores of the Mediterranean. I just finished the first novel in the series, which will release Fall 2012. It features a You’ve Got Mail-like anonymous pen pal relationship between a loner nurse and an Army engineer burdened by the legacy of his infamous father.

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?

I started writing historical fiction because my story idea demanded a historical setting. World War II has always fascinated me, and there are so many dramatic stories and settings—a novelist’s dream. This was a time when ordinary men had to do extraordinary things, and when women first explored non-traditional roles—while remaining ladies. I’ve always been fond of that generation, my grandparents’ generation. As a pharmacy resident at a VA hospital, I had the honor of caring for many of these men. As a rule, they were cheerful, kind, and chivalrous, with the solid strength of someone who has been tested—and passed. What more could you want in a hero?

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?

It’s surreal. I’m still surprised anyone not related to me by blood or marriage wants to read my books—much less that they come back for more! But of course, it’s thrilling. I had no idea writing books would help me make friends! Maybe I should have started in junior high 

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

I don’t think anything is left. How about a math question? I always liked math. That would be a refreshing change.

What was your road to publications like?

Long and rocky, but everybody probably says that. I started submitted my first novel in 2003. I received good feedback from published authors, editors, and agents—and began accumulating a stack of “good” rejection letters. They liked my writing, my story, and my characters—however, historicals weren’t selling. This continued for five years. I often felt discouraged, but the Lord made it obvious in many ways that He wanted me to finish the trilogy so I plugged away. Then in 2008, the market opened up for historicals, and there I was with my trilogy close to complete. I submitted to Vicki Crumpton at Revell, and I was offered a three-book contract.

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Author Bio

Bio:
Sarah Sundin lives in northern California with her husband and three children. When she isn’t ferrying kids to soccer and tennis, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school and women’s Bible studies. She is the author of the Wings of Glory series—A Distant Melody (Revell, 2010), A Memory Between Us (2010), and Blue Skies Tomorrow (August 2011). In 2011, A Memory Between Us was a finalist in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards and Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference.

Oh- and by the way- I found the question Sarah Sundin would most like to be asked in an interview fascinating: math. I am not a fan of math and I might panic if someone asked me a math question in an interview (unless it was basic math). :)